Wedding Dress
by Old Enough To Die
Summary: Remus/Lily one-shot based on the music video for Wedding Dress by Taeyang. Written for the Sheherazad Challenge, Day 17, and for Round 2 of Penelope Fiction's competition. Read and Review!


**A/N: My first Remus/Lily story ever, so please be gentle. Written for the Sheherazad Challenge, Day 17 for the music video of Wedding Dress by Taeyang.**** Also written for Corinne Marie, 'cause it's her favorite pairing. Also written for Penelope Fiction's competition. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I mean that. Nothing.**

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Remus sat in his kitchen, leaning back in his chair, just staring at the ceiling. He tried not to, but whenever he closed his eyes, even just to blink, he saw her face. Smiling, angry, it didn't matter. Seeing Lily at all made him happy. And he'd been thinking about her far too often.

There was a time once when they were inseperable, Remus and Lily. There were times when she was sad and he was the only one who could cheer her up. They used to sit around and play chess, or read or just laugh together. They were, in the simplest terms, best friends. At least, that's what it was like for her. He felt much more...complex feelings for her.

He stood up and went to his room to get dressed. As he changed into his wedding clothes, he slipped something into his pocket from the top of his dresser that he didn't even think about anymore, as he'd done the exact same thing so many times before. That little object in his pocket, the weight of which would probably be imperceptible if he were someone else, represented so much. But he did his best to ignore it and finished getting dressed.

He decided to walk to the chapel. It wasn't that far, and he would be on time anyway, so he didn't see a reason to rush. It was located along a busy street, but he paid no mind to the people and cars he passed on his way there. He was thinking about some of his favorite moments with Lily. Like the time they had sat outside next to the lake just after N.E.W.T.s and talked about how well they did, a topic the other boys would have nothing to do with. "The tests are over," Sirius said, "No use worrying about them now."

They spent hours like that, just talking, which they always seemed to be doing. There wasn't a moment when they were together that they were silent, not even in class where they were expected to behave.

He arrived at the chapel with these thoughts in mind, and he was sure it was obvious as he shook hands with people he hadn't seen since they left school. He saw Sirius just before he went inside, and said a quick hello before going to find Lily.

She was sitting, in her wedding dress, surrounded by friends and family who were all marveling at her beauty. He couldn't blame them. She looked amazing, there was no other way to say it. As soon as she saw him, she stood and walked quickly towards him.

"Hey, Remus," she said, hugging him. "It's so great to see you."

"You too," he replied with a smile. "You look fantastic."

"Thanks," she said, blushing slightly.

And then, as usual, James appeared behind her. He kissed her cheek and she turned to smile at him. Remus's smile faded just a little. James shook his hand.

"Can't believe it's finally happening," James said, looking at Lily again. "Who would've ever thought she would've said yes to me, right?" They smiled at each other again and Remus got the distinct feeling of being unwanted. He looked away for a second, thinking about all the other times James had interrupted them. It wasn't a problem, not then. It wasn't as if they didn't get along, after all. He used to sneak up on Lily and wrap his arms around her waist, or cover her eyes, which usually made them all laugh. But Remus didn't want to laugh now.

He looked back up and smiled at them. They did look so happy together, after all.

"So, I'll see you two out there and...good luck."

They both laughed. "Thanks Rem," James said, and they walked away.

Not long after that, he sat in one of the front pews in the chapel and watched Lily's father lead her down the aisle. He wished at that moment that he was the one waiting at the end of her walk. But it wasn't him. It was James. And when they turned to face each other, she caught his eye and gave him a small smile. He thought about telling her, right then, how he really felt about her. He imagined standing up and saying it right then in front of everyone. He imagined her look of happy surprise and the shock that would be on James's face, imagined her leaving James on the spot and running to him. He even imagined himself in James's place.

But none of that happened. The ceremony went by without a hitch and he watched his last chance pass him by. He watched everyone congratulate them, watched them leave the chapel together and knew there was nothing he could do, not anymore.

He'd had his chance and missed it, he remembered as he reached into his pocket. He thought back to that night, the night of that stupid party, he couldn't even remember what it was for. But he remembered his intention. After the first half hour or so he'd dragged her away from Alice and into a nearly deserted hall. She looked confused, so he'd tried just talking to her again, as he always had. But he soon found that his voice seemed to be working against him, so he reached into his pocket...

And then James had shown up, interrupting them again, and that was the first time Remus was upset by his friend's presence. But they all spent a few minutes in playful talk, and all was very nearly right again, nothing had changed. And then James pulled a ring out of his pocket. An engagement ring. And Lily looked so happy. And Remus was so silent, which had probably been the worst mistake of his life.

And here they were now, at the end of James and Lily's wedding, and everyone was happy except Remus. And then he took the ring out of his pocket, the one he'd spent most of his savings on. It was far simpler than the one Lily had worn for the past few months, which is probably why he'd never said anything. It wasn't good enough, and he wasn't good enough. But that didn't really matter. It was over now, there was nothing to do about it. Silently, he let the ring fall to the floor. Let someone else have bad luck with it if they find it, he thought. And then he walked away.

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**A/N: So there you have it. I tried to stick to the video as much as possible. Please read and review!**


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